1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed embodiments of the present invention relate to a network apparatus, and more particularly, to a network apparatus which may perform an information-matching operation upon a plurality of network service plans provided by a plurality of User Identity Modules (UIMs) for switching a data network automatically or manually, and related switching method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, a variety of network devices provide interfaces for connecting a wireless modem card with a User Identity Module (UIM), allowing a user to access the Internet through wireless or mobile networks such as WiFi, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Some of the network devices have built-in wireless modems, meaning a user can access the Internet with UIMs enabled by service plans from specific service providers.
There are several disadvantages in the current design of such network devices. For a mobile user, especially one who travels between different areas frequently, expensive data roaming charges may occur. Besides, the user may not be able to connect to desired services if the original subscribed service provider does not provide enough service coverage, or does not have roaming agreements with other service providers. Furthermore, the coverage problem becomes much more severe as emerging mobile access technologies (e.g. 4G/LTE) may only be available in limited service areas in the early stage of deployment.
To resolve these problems, a mobile user may need to carry several UIMs when traveling, wherein a different UIM will be employed in the network device depending on where the user is currently located. In order to determine which UIM to employ, the user has to rely on individual judgment as well as limited information from the network device. In some areas, even though the user could use the original UIM to access a WiFi hotspot service (e.g. through EAP-SIM authentication provided by the service provider), he still needs to manually switch service plans between WiFi hotspot and 2G/3G/4G with limited choices. The user may even need to use another network device with a different service plan enabled to access the Internet in a different zone.